This invention relates, in general, to missile launching systems and related, specifically, to systems for launching missiles from submerged submarines or other submerged launchers.
Submarine torpedo tubes and other launchers have limited volume and the missiles that they contain are dense and have a negative buoyancy. Therefore, the missiles are boosted to the surface by rocket motors. Underwater booster motors are, of necessity, of special design having low thrust and low expansion ratio. These underwater boost requirements tend to be incompatible with the subsequent in-air boost phase and this incompatability leads to complex designs requiring dual thrust boosters. Furthermore, the boost motors become more complex as launch depth flexibility (shallow and deep) requirements increase.
Floatation systems to simplify the underwater boost requirements have been proposed by which the missile is floated to the surface where the in-air booster motors are ignited and the missile launched. These prior art floatation systems have either been rigid floatation capsule systems which took up too much volume, were heavy and complex, and resisted deep submergence pressures, or fabric floatation devices which did not provide the rigidity needed to maintain good missile control especially during high speed torpedo tube ejection.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to improve the prior art floatation systems by providing a float up system which is compact and lightweight for launching missiles from submerged submarines or other launchers.